According to an interim order issued by the Ministry of Transportation on October 9, Chinese airlines will no longer be able to transit Russian airspace on U.S. routes.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) gave Chinese airlines just two days to object to the decision. If confirmed, it will apply to all Chinese airlines currently operating in the United States (including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines).
The order would satisfy complaints from U.S. airlines that have not been allowed to fly over Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. They argued that Chinese airlines have an advantage because they have the option of using faster, more efficient routes to and from the United States.
“Based on the facts presented before us, we have tentatively determined that the practice of some Chinese airlines exercising flights over Russian airspace while conducting certain China-U.S. scheduled intermodal services is unfair and has resulted in a significant competitive effect on U.S. airlines in the U.S.-China intermodal market,” the DOT said in the order.
Airlines for America, a trade group, praised the Trump administration.
“This is an important step to help U.S. airlines compete with Chinese carriers on a level playing field,” Airlines for America said. “We will continue to work with the administration to address global competitiveness issues around the world.”
The United States and China currently allow each other’s airlines to operate a total of 50 round-trip flights per week. This month, Chinese carriers are utilizing their full limit at 220 roundtrips, while United, Delta and American are combining for 212 roundtrips, according to Cirium data.
Chinese airlines are the only airlines that fly to the East Coast of the United States, which has the longest flight times.
Nonetheless, Chinese airlines often already avoid Russian airspace on U.S. routes, according to data from AirNav Radar, a flight tracking service. For example, Air China’s Oct. 9 flight between New York JFK and Beijing tracked over southern Alaska and entered Asia via South Korea, avoiding the more efficient polar route that would have taken it over Russia.
